Today’s quote comes from Wilhelmine von Hillern: “What we have, we can lose, but never what we are.”
Material possessions are fleeting, but our inner selves, our souls, and our character cannot be taken away. This reminds me of a folk song that my mother, who passed away on November 19, 2021 with 88 years, often quoted and taught us. The first stanza goes: “Thoughts are free! Who can guess them? They flee like shadows of the night. No one can know them, no hunter can shoot them; it remains true: Thoughts are free!” She was a child during World War II and learned how crucial it is to perceive one’s thoughts as free.
No one can truly know who we are, what we think, or how we feel. Communication experts may claim they can interpret body language, but just as often as they are right, they are also wrong. No matter how well one believes they know someone, they can never fully grasp their thoughts, feelings, or reactions, as we have a free will. We often compare others to ourselves, thinking we can empathize with their situations. However, this only works to a limited extent because our essence and our patterns of interpretation and attitude are shaped by our experiences. This means that our past has made us who we are today, making each of us special and unique.
The valleys we have traversed and the peaks we have reached in our lives shape us into the wonderful people we are. In my opinion, the art lies in preserving our curiosity, hope, and the core of our character, even through the trials we face—whether they be valleys or deserts that life may bring. These challenges, which we endure without losing our character or sense of self, ultimately strengthen us.
This reminds me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed as a resistance fighter in a concentration camp in 1945 during World War II. In all of his writings, it is clear that he retained his inner self, his character, and his hope. They took everything from him, even his freedom and ultimately his life, but they could not take away what he was and what he thought. One of the most powerful lines for me is this: “In good powers wonderfully sheltered, we calmly await whatever may come. God is with us in the evening and in the morning, and certainly on each new day.” He wrote this in December 1944, just before his execution. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Bonhoeffer-Gedicht – Nationalsozialismus – Geschichte – Planet Wissen (planet-wissen.de)
It is irrelevant whether one is religious; what matters is that he remained true to himself and did not allow himself to be broken. Bonhoeffer would not permit anyone to take away his inner self, his thoughts, or his identity. Perhaps we should learn from him to overcome hurdles and obstacles in our lives.
